U.S. College Hiring to Increase 8.3 Percent

BETHLEHEM,
PA—Employers expect to hire 8.3 percent more new college graduates from the Class of 2015 for their U.S. operations than they did from the Class of 2014, according to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Employers taking part in NACE's Job Outlook 2015 survey cited company growth and attrition caused by retirements as main drivers behind the increased hiring.

Current results are consistent with those posted over the past few years; as the economy has improved, many organizations have increased the number of new college graduates they bring on board. (See Figure 1.)

Responding employers expressed the most interest in new college graduates at the bachelor's degree level in the business, engineering, and computer/information sciences field. Among individual majors, finance, accounting, and computer science graduates are most sought-after by survey respondents. (Editor's note: In general, demand for specific types of graduates is driven by the nature of responding employers. Not all industries are represented.)

Employers also expect to "sweeten the pot" some for their new hires. Overall, respondents said they plan to raise starting salaries to new college hires by 3.6 percent.

About the Job Outlook Survey: The Job Outlook survey is a forecast of hiring intentions of employers as they relate to new college graduates. Each year, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) surveys its employer members about their hiring plans and other employment-related issues to project the market for new college graduates for the current class and to assess a variety of conditions that may influence that market.

Data for the Job Outlook 2015 survey were collected from August 11, 2014, through October 7, 2014. A total of 260 surveys were returned for a 25 percent response rate. Of those responding, 18.1 percent were from the West, 24.2 percent represented organizations located in the Northeast, 26.5 percent were from the Southeast, and 31.2 percent were from the Midwest.

NACE will update the hiring outlook for the Class of 2015 in April, and will begin reporting on starting salaries for the class in January 2015.